Art as Narrative: Florence Faringworth and Her Curious Collection

by Patricia Chapman

August 17 – October 4, 2015Meet the Artist Reception: Friday, August 28 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Exhibition in collaboration with JLF@Boulder

The exhibition Art as Narrative: Florence Faringworth and Her Curious Collection transports words and art together with an ongoing narrative between Boulder artist
Patricia Chapman (thepatstudio.com) and her sister, Catherine Nickel. Along with the “cabinets of curiosity”; the exhibition
includes Patricia’s assemblage sculptures that are whimsical parodies using found
objects, taxidermy forms and words to express her vision about the environment, society
and life. Please join us at the Meet the Artist reception on Friday, August 28 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the White Cube Gallery, Nalanda
Campus, 6287 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301.

When they were children Patricia and Catherine wrote many wildly improbable stories
together, calling their comic fictions "Short Sad Stories". The story of Florence Faringworth (born at the turn of the last century in Cornwall, England) has given the sisters
an excellent opportunity to relive their early creative connection. Patricia sees
Florence’s (Flo) character as an exaggerated version of what everyone encounters in
life’s journeys, as the plans one foresees so often bear no resemblance to the reality
that occurs. She constructs a cabinet that represents each place that Flo visits
on her journey, containing objects and images that illustrate her experiences with
a passage of the story that will be published as a short novel in the near future.
Patricia comments, “Making an assemblage enables me to give full reign to my hunter gatherer instincts.
I find it transcendently joyful to hunt my way through antique malls and thrift stores,
flea markets and yard sales in search of the objects that have the power to tell my
stories. I feel like I am an author and that the objects I have collected are my characters
and all I have to do is to stand back and allow them to say what they have to say.”

Naropa University is honored to be an official partner and collaborate with JLF@Boulder,
Colorado, the U.S. extension of the world famous Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) with
this multicultural exhibition. JLF@Boulder establishes its U.S. Seat at Boulder, CO, with lead up events beginning
with the Reception for Art as Narrative on August 28 going through the festival week
of September 14 - 20, 2015.

Naropa University Partners with JLF@Boulder

The Jaipur Literature Festival is one of the three largest and most prestigious literature
festivals in the world and the largest free literature festival. JLF is renowned for its multiculturalism, diversity, and intercultural
conversations, for celebrating stories, ideas, the written word, and the visual arts,
and for meaningful outreach to underserved populations in the local community. Our
community is blessed with having this inspiring, international festival event occur
in Boulder.

Join the festivities starting on September 14–20 for a week of lead-up activities held at the Boulder Library, the University of Colorado
at Boulder, Naropa University, the Denver Public Library, Denver Art Museum and other
venues. For more information on the festival, please visit jaipurliteraturefestival.org/boulder.

Naropa University welcomes participants with disabilities. Persons with questions
about accessibility or who require disability accommodations should contact Matt Peterson
at mpeterson@naropa.edu or 303-546-3549.